Come no more to make you laugh; things now,
I
That bear a weighty and a ferious brow,
Sad, high, and working, full of ftate and woe;
Such noble fcenes, as draw the eye to flow,
We shall prefent. Thofe, that can pity, here.
May, if they think it well, let fall a tear ;.
The fubject will deferve it. Such, as give
Their money out of hope they may believe,
May here find truth too. Thofe, that come to fee
Only a fhow or two, (and fo agree,

The play may país) if they be itill and willing,
I'll undertake, may fee away their fhilling.
Richly in two fhort hours. Only they,
That come to hear a merry, bawdy play;
A noife of targets; or to fee a fellow (1)
In a long motley coat, guarded with yellow;
Will be deceiv'd: for, gentle hearers, know,
To rank out chofen truth with fuch a fhow
As fool and fight is, (befides forfeiting

Our own brains, and th' opinion that we brings st
To make that only true we now intend)

Will leave us ne'er an understanding friend."
Therefore, for goodness fake, as you are known
The firft and happiest hearers of the town,

Be fad, as we would make ye. Think before ye (2)
The very perfons of our noble ftory.

As they were living: think, you fee them great,
And follow'd with the gen'ral throng, and fweat
Of thousand friends; Then, in a moment fee
How foon this mightiness meets mifery !
And, if you can be merry then, I'll fay,
A man may weep upon his wedding day..

(1)

or to fee a Fellow

In a long motley coat,] Alluding to the fools and Buffoons, introduc'd for the generality in the plays a little before our author's time: -and of whom he has left us a fmall tafte in his own.

Think ye fee

(2) The very perfons of our noble ftory,] Why the rhyme should have been interrupted here, when it was fo eafily to be fupplied,' I cannot conceive. It can only be accounted for from the negligence of the prefs, * the transcribers: and therefore I have made no fcruple to replace it. THE

10

The LIFE of

King HENRY VIII.

ACT

I.

SCENE, An Anti-chamber in the Palace.

Enter the Duke of Norfolk, at one door; at the other, the Duke of Buckingham, and the Lord Abergavenny.

BUCKINGHAM.

WOOD-morrow, and well met. How have you done,
Since laft we faw in France?

G

Nor. I thank your Grace:

Healthful, and ever fince a fresh admirer

Of what I faw there.

Buck. An untimely ague

Staid me a prifoner in my chamber, when
Thofe funs of glory, thofe two lights of men,
Met in the vale of Arde.

Nor. "Twixt Guynes and Arde:

I was then prefent, faw 'em falute on horfe-back,
Beheld them when they lighted, how they clung
In their embracement, as they grew together:
Which had they, whatfourthron'd ones could haveweigh'd
Such a compounded one ?

12

Buck.

Buck. All the whole time,

I was my chamber's prifoner.
Nor. Then you loft

The view of earthly glory: men might fay,
'Till this time pomp was fingle, but now marry'd
To one above itfelf. Each following day
Became the next day's master, 'till the last
Made former wonders, its. To-day the French,
All clinquant, all in gold, like heathen Gods,
Shone down the Englife; and to-morrow they
Made Britain, India: every man that ftood,
Shew'd like a mine. Their dwarfish pages were
As Cherubins, all gilt; the Madams too,
Not us'd to toil, did almoft fweat to bear
The pride upon them; that their very labour
Was to them as a painting. Now this mask
Was cry'd, incomparable; and th' ensuing night
Made it a fool and beggar. The two Kings,
Equal in luftre, were now beft, now worst,
As prefence did prefent them; him in eye,
Still him in praife; and being present both,
'Twas faid, they faw but one; and no difcerner
Darst wag his tongue in cenfure. When these funs
(For fo they phrafe 'em) by their heralds challeng'd
The noble fpirits to arms, they did perform
Beyond thought's compass that old fabulous story
(Being now feen poffible enough) got credit;
That + Bevis was believ'd.

Buck. Oh, you go far.

Nor. As I belong to worship, and affect

In honour, honefty; the tract of every thing diqo4

Would by a good difcourfer lofe fome life,

Which Action's felf was tongue to. All was royal; (3)

The old romantic legend of Bevis of Southampton.

(3) Which action's felf was tongue to.

Buck. All was royal.

To the difpofing of it nought rebell'd;

Order gave each thing view. The office did
Diftinctly his full function. Who did, &c.]

Thus hitherto thefe fpeeches have been regulated:

To

but, I think, mistakingly,

To the difpofing of it nought rebell'd; A
Order gave each thing view: The office did
Diftinctly his full function.

I

Buck. Who did guide,

mean, who fet the body and the limbs Of this great fport together, as you guefs?

Nor. One, fure, that promises no element In fuch a bufinefs.

Buck. Pray you, who, my Lord P

Nor. All this was order'd by the good difcretion Of the right rev'rend Cardinal of York.

Buck. The devil speed him! no man's pye is freed From his ambitious finger. What had he To do in these fierce vanities ! I wonder, That fuch a ketch can with his very bulk "Take up the rays o'th' beneficial fun, And keep it from the earth.

Nor. Yet, furely, Sir,

There's in him ftuff that puts him to these ends.
For being not propt by ancestry, whofe grace
Chalks fucceffors their way; nor call'd upon
For high feats done to th' crown; neither ally'd
To eminent affiftants; but spider-like

Out of his felf-drawn web; this give us note,
The force of his own merit makes his way :
A gift that heaven gives for him, which buys
A place next to the King.

Aber. I cannot tell

What heav'n hath giv'n him; let fome graver eye
Pierce into that: but I can fee his pride

Peep through each part of him ; whence has he that? (4)

miftakingly. Buckingham could not with any propriety fay this: for he wanted information as to the magnificence, having kept his chamber with an ague during the folemnity. I have therefore ventur'd to split the fpeeches, fo as to give them probability, from the perfons fpeaking; without hazarding the author's fente by this new regulation.

If not from bell the devil] Thus has this paffage been pointed inall the editions; but the very inference, which is made upon it, directs the ftops as I have regulated them; and as Mr. Warburten Likewife communicated to me, they thould be.

If not from hell, the devil is a niggard,
Or has given all before; and he begins
A new hell in himself.

Buck. Why the devil,

Upon this French going out, took he upon him,
Without the privity o'th' King, t'appoint
Who fhould attend him? he makes up the file
Of all the gentry: for the most part such,
To whom as great a charge as little honour
He meant to lay upon and his own letter
(The honourable board of council out)
Muft fetch in him he papers.

Aber. I do know

Kinsmen of mine, three at the leaft, that have
By this fo ficken'd their eftates, that never
They fhall abound as formerly.

Aber. O, many

Have broke their backs with laying manors on 'em

For this great journey.

What did this vanity

But minifter communication of

A moft poor iffue?

Nor Grievingly, I think,

The peace between the French and us not values
The coft, that did conclude it,

Buck. Every man,

After the hideous ftorm that follow'd, was
I thing infpir'd; and not confulting, broke
Into a general prophefy, that this tempeft,
Dafhing the garment of this peace, aboaded
The fudden breach on't.

Nor. Which is budded out:

For France hath flaw'd the league, and hath attach'd Our merchants goods at Bourdeaux.

Aber. Is it therefore

Th' ambaffador is filenc'd ?

Nor. Marry, is't.

Aber. A proper title of a peace, and purchas'd At a fuperfluous rate!

Buck. Why all this business

Our rev'rend Cardinal carried.

Nor